Early symptoms: Those affected, mostly over 50 years old, have new bilateral temple headaches and hypersensitivity of the scalp.Main symptoms: Constant headaches, difficulty swallowing and tongue pain when chewing due to reduced blood flow to the chewing muscles. In addition, there is fatigue, fever, night sweats and weight loss and visual disturbances.Rare symptoms: Abdominal and chest pain may also occur.Accompanying symptoms: In about half of those affected, giant cell arteritis occurs together with muscular rheumatism. Typical complaints include muscle pain with a focus on the trunk and stiffness in the neck, shoulder and pelvic girdle.
Early symptoms
Temporal arteritis, also known as giant cell arteritis, typically only occurs in old age, usually after the age of 50. One of the earliest and most noticeable signs of the disease is a new-onset bilateral temporal headache. These headaches are often chronic and may worsen as the disease progresses – although they may temporarily subside. In addition, hypersensitivity of the scalp may occur, making touching or brushing the hair uncomfortable or even painful.
Main symptoms
The main symptoms of temporal arteritis are diverse and can significantly reduce the quality of life of those affected. A common key symptom of the disease is constant headaches, which often occur on both sides and in the temple area. Fatigue, fever, night sweats and weight loss can also be signs, as can pain when chewing, which can be attributed to reduced blood flow to the chewing muscles.
Around 70 percent of those affected suffer from visual impairments caused by reduced blood flow to the optic nerve or retina. These vision problems can manifest as blurred vision, double vision, or even sudden loss of vision. Immediate treatment is necessary to prevent possible blindness.
Inflammatory changes in the aorta occur in over 80 percent of those affected and can lead to serious complications of the cardiovascular system. These include pathological enlargements (aneurysms) of the main artery in the chest and abdominal area.
Rare symptoms
Although the above symptoms are the most common, there are also a number of rarer symptoms that can occur with temporal arteritis.
In some cases, the inflammatory changes in the main artery can also lead to reduced blood flow to certain side branches of the main artery. This can result in a number of physical complaints – depending on which areas of the body are affected. For example, if the intestines are affected, abdominal pain may occur. If the heart is affected, chest pain may occur.
Accompanying symptoms
Accompanying symptoms are often non-specific, so that an accompanying symptom that occurs does not necessarily indicate a specific disease. Rather, they are a secondary sign when other symptoms are already present. Muscular rheumatism (polymyalgia rheumatica) also occurs in about half of patients with temporal arteritis. This condition is characterized by muscle pain and stiffness in the neck, shoulder and pelvic girdles.
About the author
Lucia Windhoff is an experienced communications expert with a bachelor’s degree in media studies and art history as well as a master’s degree in communications management. She has diverse professional experience in different industries such as automotive, e-commerce and food. She has been at Burda Forward for almost three years, where she initially worked in campaign management for the health and lifestyle areas before moving to the health editorial team. There she deals intensively with various diseases and their causes, symptoms and prevention.